Options for foal-safe stall doors

[JB]

I currently only have rubber-covered chains on my doors - interior and exterior. I’m building Dutch doors for the exterior doorways, so have that covered.

I don’t use stalls full-time, and when I’ve had to use them for these particular adult horses, the chains have been perfectly fine and safe for my setup.

I am obviously coming up on needing more frequent use of stalls for the mare and foal, and for the interior doors obviously need something to keep little foalie in. I had originally thought of using this configuration but then got wigged out about a a little foalie hoof getting caught in there. The opening is 2 3/8". Is that small enough to be safe?

If not, my 2nd choice would be something like this config Keep in mind these are all stall guards - not “real” doors.

I really don’t want full, real doors on the inside if I don’t REALLY need them.

Are there other options?

[MagicRoseFarm]

the right door is way less costly than even one vet bill.

I can email u photos of foal safe doors that the Amish company i sales rep for builds here in PA… they are not that much more expensive than what u posted, but too much to ship.

[JB]

Of course I am not willing to skimp on safety for the sake of a few $$, hence my asking It’s not even really about cost, as I can build Dutch Doors for less than these “stall guards” will cost me.

I would love to see the pictures. I’ll PM you my email

[MagicRoseFarm]

If you use stall guards, I would use 2 x 2 heavy gage mesh, and make sure the hinging is close and tight to prevent a trapped leg on the side.

A foal needs about 12" to slide under something, so I would drop in a heavy plywood front (in a slot) that comes up a few inches higher than the bottom of the stall guard, on the outside of the guard. They are a pain because u have to lift them in and out every time u want to take horses in and out, and climb over them when you want to enter.

hope all this is helpful

[ahf]

Mesh stall screen. Ones that go to the floor. Hard to find, but they are out there.
http://www.keystonebarns.com/barn-doors.htm
Item# JESC4X7YK

Otherwise, like magic rose says, mesh stall screen with a plywood drop-in panel to close the gap to the floor.

JUst make sure it’s not solid wood, and will allow airflow.

[ahf]

This is the industry leader - Lucas Equine. I have Lucas mesh sliding stall doors, but they make stall screens too.

http://www.lucasequine.com/screens.html

[apachepony]

I suspect you could make something pretty easily.

I was just looking at Gridwall for a slow feeder last night. It’s 3x3 squares, but I suspect there’s something similar out there with 2x2 squares. Sandwich it between 2x4’s and you have a mesh door.

http://www.gridwall.com/gridwallpanels.html

[paintjumper]

my stall doors…

I don’t like the doors that slide open, the horses can push them out at the bottom and get a leg caught or simply escape the stall…we had a horse were I boarded do this when he finished his feed.
My doors open into the hallway and are solid at the bottom with no gap between the bottom of the door and the concrete floor and are open at the top with the same type vertical bars that the stalls have. I have never had a horse get hurt in 10 years my barn has been built, foal or otherwise.

[EquusMagnificus]

[QUOTE=apachepony;5391156]
I suspect you could make something pretty easily.

I was just looking at Gridwall for a slow feeder last night. It’s 3x3 squares, but I suspect there’s something similar out there with 2x2 squares. Sandwich it between 2x4’s and you have a mesh door.

http://www.gridwall.com/gridwallpanels.html[/QUOTE]

I am not sure this would be resistant enough to hold a pawing horse out… I wouldn’t want a leg going through.

[JB]

Ok, so are you guys saying 2 3/8" bars are too big for a foal?

The configuration I listed would be from the bottom up to make a half door, so there would be no gap there. My concrete aisle comes above the level of the mats in the stall, so the bottom of the bottom guard would sit right about there.

My doorways are not quite 48" wide, and these guards are, so these would go on the inside of the door opening with zero space between hinge/latch side for any hoof - big or small - to get caught. I normally wouldn’t even consider an in-swinging door of any sort, but since I have outside doors that (will) swing open, I’m not worried about not being able to get a door open against a recumbent animal.

[clint]

When I build my dream barn, it will have mesh stall fronts. When Glenwood Hanoverians was located in this area, all of their stalls had these, and they were wonderful. They need to go all the way to floor, and they were tall. Nobody ever got out, and foals couldn’t get under them, plus as you walked through the barn it was easy to see how the foal was doing.

[Home_Again_Farm]

The most dangerous items on a farm are fences, gates and doors. I would not make do with anything less than something really made for the job. Go with ahf’s recommendations. You’ll be glad that you did.

[ahf]

To answer whether or not 2 3/8 ths is too wide, you need to know the gauge of the steel. Because anything is going to be too wide if it bends when kicked.

I’m trying to reach back in my mind to what I used to know about steel gauge and strength (from when I built my current barn) but all that’s coming back is 12 gauge = good. And I don’t think that’s a good answer for you.

[sixpoundfarm]

Nice doors at that site, AHF!
I have regular wood crossbuck doors with smaller spaced bars on top, but added two more stalls and those have the full mesh doors.
I like being able to see into the stall easily, and wouldn’t mind replacing the other stall doors with the mesh some time down the road.
We added a wood kickboard in the entry to the stall to prevent little hooves from going beneath the doors.
The only time I really worry about the bars is weaning time, but mine usually start going into the stall next to mom early on to eat separately.

[Tiki]

I had a mare get a leg through stall bars and do a terrible job on it - i.e. came back from DAD and found her down in the stall covered in blood with the stall bars (good quality ones) bent apart.

There’s another thread on here about a horse getting a whole hind leg through such bars all the way up to the gaskin, with comments from other posters about same thing.

I DEFINITELY prefer strong mesh to bars!!! And these were full size horses.

[JB]

yes, I read the thread on the leg/bars deal, but typically those bars are on the order of 3-4" in spacing.

The Country Manufacturing grills on their stall guards are 16g metal, and are 5/8" square steel tubing.

One reason I was looking at these is I can do 2-2’ guards for each of the mare’s 2 interior doors (double stall for foaling), and then after all is said and done, I can re-do that by taking each of the 4 pieces and making then a regular, chest-high-ish guard for all 4 stalls.

so on that note, does anyone make the 2’ high sections in a mesh?

[ahf]

I seem to remember that Frey Brothers will make anything you want.

http://www.freybrothersinc.com/estalls.html

Also try cross-posting on the Farm section of the BB. There are some really imaginative and creative people on that board that do not come over here to the breeding board.

[ThirdCharm]

Would these be sturdy enough?

http://www.doversaddlery.com/show-gate/p/X1-27518/cn/186/

Jennifer

[MagicRoseFarm]

We can make you anything you want and do lots of custom and retrofit items, and a local fabricator might be able to do the same.

You have to be careful of the gauge of the steel… 16 gage is lighter, like the cheap tube gates u buy at tractor supply. However , in the case of your small square tubing, because it is a small “square” , it is much stronger than the 2" round tubing used in cheaper gates . “Pipe” is not necessarily real Pipe. I understand your thoughts, however, 16 gauge tubing as a chest guard will probably bend the first time a WB horse leans against it

Painted and powder coated steel items can be manufactured in a heavier gage than galvanized , because of the processes used in galvanizing.

Your mesh should have the verticals run on the inside, and should be heavy duty( 12 gauge). It should be fully welded into the frame, not tacked or screwed between two pieces of plate, angle or tubing.

Frey Brothers has very well made products, but are probably the most expensive in the area for the same product. We can make the same exact items for 2/3 the cost in most cases, even in custom colors and powder coatings, so you may still want to comparison shop in your area.

Gauge/ thickness in decimal inch
10 0.134
11 0.120
12 0.109
13 0.095
14 0.083
15 0.072
16 0.065
17 0.058
18 0.049

[Stacie]

[QUOTE=MagicRoseFarm;5391012]
If you use stall guards, I would use 2 x 2 heavy gage mesh, and make sure the hinging is close and tight to prevent a trapped leg on the side.

A foal needs about 12" to slide under something, so I would drop in a heavy plywood front (in a slot) that comes up a few inches higher than the bottom of the stall guard, on the outside of the guard. They are a pain because u have to lift them in and out every time u want to take horses in and out, and climb over them when you want to enter.

hope all this is helpful :)[/QUOTE]

We have steel stall screens with the above described wood guard on the bottom on the aisles at 2 of the barns where I board, with dutch doors on the outside. At the third we have dutch doors on the aisle and on the outside. Babies can jump over the dutch doors. Can make it hard to do something with Mom in the Aisle while baby hangs in the stall. They get more upset about the solid door being between them and Mom. I also love the airflow with the mesh doors. Something you really want with babies laying down so much.
So I’ve used both and I like the mesh door with the wood guard.